Text Analysis-
The Conditioned Outdoor room
Bernard Rudofsky stresses on the need to merge with the nature and not isolate ourselves from nature. He imagines the future generation living hundred and thousands of feet below the ground without imparting their happiness. In the text he talks about the importance of gardens by giving examples from the Roman Garden, Garden of Pompeii and the Japanese gardens. Man can establish an “environmental relationship” with the outdoor gardens during the transition of various seasons by seeing it as an additional living space. He also talks about the “positional relationship” a wall creates by enclosing the garden within its space and the importance of the wall in climate control and maintaining a buffer between the indoor and the outdoor. Rudofsky also brings in a “metaphorical relationship” thought the relation between the man and the nature was resuming into economic advantages- man failed to produce anything revolutionary because he retreated into his house. This text dates back to the 1950’s where technology wasn’t a part of life as it is today. The question is “Is the garden an additional living space achievable in today’s world”
House Analysis-
Studio House by F451 Arquitectura
Rudofsky’s idea of “relationship between man and nature” in “The conditioned outdoor room” is quite evident in this house. The Studio house is a faceted house and a studio with emerge from the slope of the hill in Gijon, Spain. This house is hybridization of two typologies- the modern house and the industrial warehouse. The house develops a “positional relationship” with the slope of the site as the house does not sit on the ground, but in fact the relationship with the ground changes in conjunction with the plan. We can also observe a “metaphorical relationship” – the house tries to branch out from the foot of the hill with a green roof over the house and hence dividing the two storey residence into four sections, which include living quarters, a double-height atelier, a guesthouse and a car parking garage. The building is in an “environmental relationship” with its surrounding by its double orientation, juxtaposition and location of the north lighting
Conclusion
As a conclusion, we should try to incorporate the benefits of “The conditioned outdoor room” instead of being fixed on the idea of the “garden” and the “wall”. We need to find the perfect balance between human beings, technology and nature.
Research Topic
I would like to explore the balance which can be created between human and nature taking in consideration the technological advancement.
How the environmental relationship can affect the form of the structure and vice versa.
References:
The conditioned outdoor room- Bernard Rudofsky